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Turkey says Makkah pact committee to meet in Riyadh on Monday
Reuters, Istanbul
Published: 04 Oct 2026, 09:47 PM
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif pose after signing a joint defence agreement in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, 7 August 2026. Photo: Reuters
A committee of the Makkah defence pact between Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will hold talks in Riyadh on Monday (5 October), with Turkish ministers among those attending, the Turkish foreign ministry said on Sunday.
The leader of Yemen's Saudi-backed government announced on
Sunday the beginning of a major military operation against the Iran-backed
Houthis earlier on Sunday, aimed at seizing the territory under their control.
Pakistan's foreign minister said on Friday that Iran had
suggested engaging Yemen's Houthis politically after attacks by the group, an
idea that the Makkah defence pact committee would discuss at a meeting in
Riyadh this week.
"The meeting will address recent developments in the
region and the stage reached in the Alliance’s institutionalisation
efforts," the Turkish statement said.
It said Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Defence Minister Yasar Guler and chief of the general staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu would attend the meeting of the pact's strategic political and defence committee, along with officials from Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.